Former Ambleside May Queens and attendants can take a nostalgic look back at what what was once a highlight of village life with old photographs in Ambleside Library.

The May Queen would be about 15 years old, accompanied by two train and crown-bearers and the annual coronation was held on a Friday in May in the Ambleside Assembly Rooms. The new Queen and attendants would be photographed in the garden at Wraysholme, Millans Park.

Old photographs of Ambleside’s Crowning Glories will be on display at Ambleside Library until mid-June, as part of Local History Month. Ambleside Oral History archive also has interviews recounting May Queen celebrations at www.aohg.org.uk

A GOVERNMENT appointed planning inspector has ruled that an ancient Lake District fell pass is out of bounds for motorised vehicles.

The decision by the Secretary of State to make Garburn Pass, between Troutbeck and Kentmere, a ‘restricted byway’ follows three years of legal argument.

It means that any motorist or motorcyclist using the pass is committing a criminal offence and could face serious legal consequences.

The inspector went through hundreds of pages of documents ranging from maps of 1822, guide books of the 1880s, and photographs of motorbikes using the pass in the 1920s.

The Lake District National Park Authority has also announced that thanks to around £55,000 of Government funding invested in repairs following the 2009 floods, the pass is probably in better condition than it has been for hundreds of years.

“The storms of November 2009 badly damaged both sides of the pass, especially the western side where the track effectively became a river, and most of the surface ended up on the main road,” said National Park Countryside Access Adviser Nick Thorne.

“We were able to obtain significant funding under the Paths for the Public Project, funded by Defra, the Rural Development Programme for England, and Cumbria County Council. And we have now completely rebuilt the worst affected areas in three stages with the work being carried out by our own staff, the National Trust, and a local contractor.”